Automatic gate for elevators



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. GUSHING.

AUTOMATIC GATE FOR ELEVATORS.

No. 256.981. Patented Apr.25, 1882.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. CUSHING.

AUTOMATIC GATE FOR ELEVATORS. No. 256,981. liatentgd Apr. 25. 18.82.

(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet s.

- J. OUSHING.

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UNITED STATES A PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES GUSHING, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC GATE FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,981, dated April 25, 1882.

Application filed November 15, 1851. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES OUSHING, of Dubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful 1mprovement in Automatic Gates for Elevators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object I have in view in thepresent application is to secure means by which the gates placed at the different floors or landings of an elevator-shaft may be opened and closed automatically. This I accomplish by the use of certain new and novel parts and combinations, all as more fully hereinafter shown, described, and claimed.

Throughout the following description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a view of my device, showing all the mechanism necessary forits successful operation, and representing the first landing of an elevator-shaft, with the necessary space below said landing for theonovement of the olevator, and with the mechanism for operating the gate ready to be acted upon; Fig. 2, a view of a block placed in the platform of the elevator and containing mechanism for raising or lowering the gate; Fig. 3, a view ofthe same block with a portion cut away to show the interior thereof; Fig. 4, a View of my device constructed according to the modification herein described, the same part of the shaft being shown as in Fig. 1; Figs. 5 and 6, detailed views of parts of the same, and Fig. 7 an elevation with parts shown in section.

Like letters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The gate A is provided at its four corners with the castings a, in each of which is placed a small anti-friction roller, (1. These rollers are placed flush with the end of the gate, and bear against the grooved uprights P P, between which the gate moves.

To the upper corners ofthe gate, at b 1), wire cables 0 are firmly secured. These wires pass up over pulleys 0, located in the uprights l? P at a sufficient height to allow the gate to be opened. The cables have attached to their opposite ends the weights 0, by means of also attached a wire cable, cl, which passes over the pulley d, situated in the upright P at a point a little below the pulley c, and at right angles thereto. The cable cl then passes over the pulley d,-placed in the upright D a short distance above thepulley (1. After passing these two pulleys the cable is brought down and secured to the top of the block B.

Attached to the lower corner of the gate, at b, is another cable, 0, which passes down around the pulleys ff, which are located like the pulleys d d, but below the landing S,and is then firmly secured to the lower end of the block B.

To the top of the block B there is also a wire, h, affixed, which, after passing over a pulley, h, located in the upright D some distance above the landing S, passes down and is firmly secured to the top of the block 0. A similar wire, g, is secured to the bottom of the block B, and is carried down around a pulley, g, and then up to the block (1, to the bottom of which it is secured. The pulley 9, above mentioned, is located in the upright D at a point somewhat below the landing or floor S of the shaft. By this arrangement of the wires it will be seen that when the block 0 is raised the block B is pulled down by means of the wire 9, and the gate forced up by the wire d, the other wires acting in a like manner to close the gate.

The construction of the blocks B and 0, previously mentioned, is clearly shown in Fig. 1. They are made of any desirable material, and are designed to move in grooves in the uprights D D D. On their upper and lower ends they are provided with the inclined planes 7c up or down which the mechanism for raising or lowering them moves. Against the faces t i, formed by these inclined planes k 7c and the cut-away portion M, certain lugs or projections press to raise or lower the blocks. These lugs will be hereinafter described and explained.

To the uprights D D, on their faces which are nearest to the platform of the elevator, and at the points shown in Fig. 1, are secured in any desirable manner the cast-offs E E E E, said cast-offs being of the shape shown in Fig. 1, the object of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

In Figs. 2 and 3 is represented a block, F, which is placed in the platform G, on the side nearest the blocks B and O. This block is made of anysnitable material and of any requisite size. To its interior are hinged the levers m m. The lugs n a and 0 0 are secured on the ends of the levers and project out through holes made in the block F, to the surface of the grooves in which the blocks B and 0 move. These lugs are held out by means of springs 32 p, placed under the ends of the levers m m, and are designed to press against the faces it, formed on the blocks B and 0, thus affording perfect means for raising and lowering said blocks.

The operation of the device is as follows: The elevator is started and passes up until the lugs 12 n of the block F come in contact with the inclined face of the cast-off E and the lower end of the block 0 respectively. This pushes said lugs back, in which position they remain until released, the one by entering the cutaway portion of the block, and the other by passing beyond the cast-01f. In this way the lug n is brought under and in contact with the face i of the block 0. The elevator then still ascending, the block 0 is carried up with it. This, by means of the cable 9, causes the block B to descend, which in its turn, through the agency of the cable d, draws the gate upward, thus effecting the opening of the gate. By this operation the block B is drawn down and caused to hold the same relative position to the cast-offs E E as the block 0 did to the cast-offs E E before the elevator was started. When the block 0 has been forced up snfficiently to open the gate it is released by the lug a coming in contact with the cast-01f E, secured to the upright D for that pnrpdse. To close the gate a like operation is performed, the lugs 0 0 coming in contact with the castofi' E" and the lower portion of the block B, 0 then entering the cut-away portion of the block B, which it forces up. When the gate is closed the block B is released by the lug 0 coming in contact with the cast-off E, and so on for each different landing.

' As a modification of the preceding, I will now describe the construction shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

B and C are blocks connected together and to the gate A by means of the same system of wires and pulleys as was previously described in connection with the blocks B and 0. These blocks B and O, as shown in Fig. 5, contain a system of levers or dogs, the object of which will behereinafterexplained. In groovesover which the blocks B and 0 pass are placed the cast-offs E E, &(1., Figs. 4 and 5, so situated as to come in contact with the ends of the levers or dogs 3 3 thereby releasing the projections on the opposite ends of said levers from contact with the counter-surface projections 11 e n of the blocks F F. The springsz z, placed under the levers y y, perform the same same function as the springspp, previously mentioned. The blocks F F are of substantially the form shown in Fig. 6, and are so arranged on the side of the elevator-platform that when moved upward their projections will come in contact with the lugs or projections on the blocks B and G, and thereby raiseor lower said blocks, and thus effect the opening or closing of the gate.

The operation is as follows The elevator is started upward and the projection v of the block F passes over the lug 3 on the block 0 and between the lugs 3 thus bringing the projections o o in contact with the lugs y. The pressure thus brought to bear forces up the block 0, and by the wires and pulleys before described the gate is opened. When the block 0 has been raised sufficiently to open the gate it is released by the end of the lever 31 coming in contact with the cast-off E, which forces the lever in and draws the lugs placed on its opposite end from contact with the projections o v on the block F. In the same manner the projections on the block F then engage with thoseon block B, which is forced up,'thns closing the gate. The operation be ing performed at each landing, a perfect system of automatically opening and closing the gates on said landings is obtained.

I am aware that elevator-shafts have been constructed in which the gates have been provided with weights. said weights forminglugs which, in combination with other mechanism, serve to raise the gate and hold it suspended until the platform has passed thclanding; but I do not claim such a construction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-=- 1. In an elevatorshaft, a counterweighted vertically-moving gate, provided at its corners with friction-rollers and connected by endless cords with vertically-moving blocks, said cords passingoverpnlleys,substantiallyasdescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an elevator-shaft provided with a serles of inclines, the verticallymoving blocks, as described, in combination with a system of levers placed in the adjacent side of the elevator, said blocks being connected by endless cords with a verticn-lly-movingcounterweighted gate, all the parts arranged and operating as shown and described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 10th day of September, 1881.

JAMES OUSHING.

Witnesses: I

JOHN L. BUET'IELL, MONROE M. UADY. 

